A Deck for the Decades

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There are several ways to accomplish this, but one method that's simple and produces a sturdy rail is to bolt the stanchions directly to the outside of the perimeter joists no farther than 6' apart, and to nail the balusters between at an equal spacing of 10" to 24".

Since the decking planks usually extend beyond the perimeter by I" or so, the up rights or decking may need to be notched, or else both can be nocked to an even depth to make what's called an edge crosslap joint. After the railing cap is fastened to the stanchions, the balusters can be installed. They, too, can be nailed to the perimeter's face or to a horizontal barrier board attached several inches off the deck between stanchions.

For a more secure anchor, railing stanchions can be made from 2 X 6s turned edgewise and bolted through the deck planking to the joists below. This asks for a bit of planning, both for spacing and because those stanchions perpendicular to the joists need to be mounted on solid blocking fastened within the joist space and sized to match the joists. Two 5/8" galvanized bolts will hold each stanchion securely.

Steps require a bit more calculation and may be needed for a deck with limited access. First, some guidelines: Stringers, the supports for stair treads, are made of 2 X 10s or 2 X 12s spaced between 30" and 36" apart. They can be notched to seat the treads and form the risers (the vertical part of the step) or cleated with 2 X 4s on the inside to support the treads alone.

One accepted tread-to-riser ratio is 2:1 -12" treads and 6" risers. Normally, though, a range is provided for each to ease the pain of calculation, so tread width might fall between 10 " and 12 " and riser height between 5 1/2" and 8 1/4" Notched stringers sometimes have closed risers; to encourage drainage, those boards can be fitted to fall just short of meeting the treads.

Deck stairs use 2-by treads almost exclusively, so appropriate-width planking is cut to slightly overhang the stringers at the sides. The front of each tread is allowed a projection of I" to 1 1/4" called nosing, but this isn't included when cutting out the notches in the stringers. It's critical that at least 3 1/2" remain between any notch point and a line drawn perpendicular to the lower edge of the stringer plank.

Ideally, the stair should rise at a "preferred angle"--between 300 and 35". There are a series of formulas used to calculate this and the tread-to-riser ratio on a finished surface, but we'll just go through the basics to get a start in the right direction.

First, measure the rise-the vertical distance between the deck surface and the ground. On a slope, you'll have to add any vertical drop to the rise to take into account about where the stair will end.

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